Residents urge city to probe recurring leaks they attribute to contracted hauler Flood Brothers

Residents of the Country Gardens subdivision told the Prospect Heights City Council on Oct. 27 they have observed recurring oil or hydrocarbon-like leaks on neighborhood streets they said came from the city's contracted garbage hauler, identified in testimony as "Flood Brothers."

A resident who identified himself at the podium described what he called "excessive" damage to the neighborhood and said he had photographic evidence showing leakage across multiple blocks between Farwood and adjacent streets. "This was caused by the poor maintenance, lack of responsibility from the truck drivers," the resident said, adding that he estimated "about 5, 15 neighbors are affected with those leaks."

Lehi, another resident who said he was a longtime research chemist, corroborated the observations and urged the city to investigate before any contaminants reach local creeks. "If there's any spills on the road, that as a company, they're responsible for it," Lehi said, noting the EPA monitors discharges to navigable waterways and raising the prospect of cumulative impacts if many small spills drain into creeks.

City staff and the city administrator responded that they had contacted the hauler when alerted and would follow up. Peter offered his contact card and asked residents to email questions and photos; staff said the vendor had sent a third-party crew to clean on at least one occasion but that residents reported the cleanup was ineffective. The administrator said the city would pursue the matter with the contractor and asked residents to escalate to the city if they do not get a timely response from the hauler.

Peter suggested inviting the contractor to a future meeting if issues persist. No formal enforcement action was taken at the Oct. 27 meeting; staff directed residents to provide photos and contact staff for follow-up.